C2's Creations
C2 has been a big fan of ice cream for a very long time. Maybe even longer than her time on Earth! Ice cream is at the center of many core memories - birth days, death days, celebrations, grief & healing, and, of course, a simple summer refreshment!
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Check back here as C2 posts about the homemade ice cream recipes she is making. Will accept suggestions for new flavor combinations to try!
Base Components
I enjoy experimenting with different recipes, yet preparing the ice cream base can be a bit time consuming (i.e. measuring ingredients, tempering eggs, ice bath chill, etc.) and slightly wasteful with the remaining whole milk/heavy cream that I didn't use. We use whole milk only for baking and otherwise consume plant-based milks.
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I was gifted the Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook in 2025 and excited to see a reference to batching of base components (for ice cream, for gelato/sorbet, and for dairy free ice cream). Brilliant! I can maximize my time and minimize waste while meeting my intention to experiment with different flavors.
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Ice Cream Base Ingredients:
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1/2 cup sugar
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2 Tbsp dry milk powder
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1/4 tsp xanthan gum
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2 Tbsp light corn syrup
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1 1/3 cup whole milk
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1 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
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Combine sugar, dry milk powder, and xanthan gum in a small bowl.
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Pour light corn syrup in a medium saucepan and slowly stir in the whole milk.
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Add the sugar mixture (step 1) and whisk energetically until smooth.
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Place saucepan over medium heat and stir often until the sugar has dissolved (approx. 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
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Whisk in the heavy cream until fully combined.
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Transfer the mixture into an air tight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Makes about 3 cups of base. Most ice cream recipes need 2.5-3 cups of base.
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Notes:
*I tripled the above recipe so that I have three recipes worth of ice cream base. One for now and two for the future. This allowed me to use the entire quart of heavy cream and minimize waste.
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**Speaking of the future, the base can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or can be frozen for up to 3 months. After this photo, I added a little note to read 17% IC base, BUD Oct 25, 2025.
***BUD is pharmacist speak and is the date, or the hour and the date, beyond which the preparation must not be used and must be discarded.
Mint Chocolate Chip
Recipe adapted from The Best Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
Ingredients:
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2 cups heavy cream
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1 cup whole milk
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1 cup, loosely-packed), fresh mint (I used chocolate mint)
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6 egg yolks
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1/2 cup sugar
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4 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions:
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In a stainless steel saucepan, bring cream and milk to a simmer. Remove from heat, stir in mint leaves, cover, and let steep for a minimum of 2 hours.
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At the end of the 2 hours, whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a stainless steel pot until well-combined. Quickly strain dairy into pot with egg yolks, pressing on the mint with the back of a spoon to extract as much mint flavor as possible.
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Whisk until fully combined, then set over medium heat and cook, whisking frequently, until a custard forms on a spoon and a finger swiped across the back leaves a clean line, or until custard temperature reaches 170°F.
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Pour custard through a fine-mesh strainer into another non reactive container and chill in an ice bath for at least 20 minutes. Refrigerate until custard temperature drops to 40°F, about 4 hours or overnight.
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Churn ice cream according to ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions. While ice cream churns, melt chocolate according to package instructions.
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During that final minutes of churning, slowly drizzle chocolate into ice cream to form thin, lacy lines, pausing to break up larger chocolate chunks with a spoon.
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Transfer churned ice cream to an airtight container and harden in freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.